Those Betrayed
by Choking On Glitter
Summary: One evening Dib discovers just how fed up the Swollen Eyeball Network is with him, and recieves aid from an unlikely source. But when the true motives of the S.E.N. are uncovered,it is not Dib who will need assistance...


_Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Invader Zim. Nothing at all ;P_

Prologue

_I'm sick of this._

_These self-ingrained creatures of consuming stupidity..._

_They deserve to die._

_And so do you! Especially you..._

Sateen crimson eyes were fixed upon the thin frame that lay prone upon the crumbling sidewalk. A small pool of dark liquid seeped from beneath the fraying edges of its grimy trenchcoat. A muffled breath rasped painfully against the gritty cement, bruised lips parting briefly to wheeze out stagnant air from throbbing lungs.

_This is your own stupid fault. I should just walk away and leave you here..._

A soft moan dripped from the pale throat and the boy tried to roll over. A ruby trickle of liquid pattered to the ground, small shoulders shuddering with exertion before giving way and falling softly to the concrete once more. Scraping his face against the rough edges of the gray manmade walkway, he turned his head bleakly towards the dark figure looming overhead. With effort, he forced his eyelids open, eyes dancing in the darkness. A fear tinged gleam glittered in the dark-encircled ovals behind shattered lenses. Narrowing and widening the amber orbs, he seemed to be trying to identify the shadow being watching him. After a few moments a glimmer of recognition flashed across the glossed sufaces of his eyes. A barely detectable sigh of relief could be heard.

_No. Don't you dare..._

"Zim?"

_Don't act like we're anything but what we are..._

"Zim? Is that you?"

_Of course it is. Drop the casualness in your wretched voice!_

"How long have you been there? Can you help me..."

He watched the pale face tighten with pain, a weak arm grimly clutching his abdomen. The Irken could tell he needed medical attention. And promptly. Still, he didn't move towards the fallen boy.

_Do you honestly expect me to assist you?_

"It....hurts. I think my rib is cracked. Zim?"

_You deserve this! Your own little pathetic excuse of a means to fit into your disfunctional society....Did you actually think they were interested in you? The crazy big-headed meat bag that rants about aliens and otherworldly things? They were merely humoring you. This shouldn't come as a surprise...._

An ironic chuckle drifted from the battered child investigator. The alien watched him in silent accusation and confusion.

"I...I guess this is what I get for trusting those quacks. I..." His eyelids fluttered for a moment, a glazed look floating across his pupils. "I bet you find this hilarious. Don't you?"

_I should. Curse the fleet, I SHOULD!_

A ragged cough scraped the night. The eyelids stopped their pitiful wavering to shut completely. The small, dark form was still for a long while.

_Stop messing around you miserable, horrible..._

_No._

"Dib-human?"

The tiny Irken knelt beside the cool body. Hesitantly he lifted a gloved arm to touch his rival's shoulder. The eyelids shot open, causing the invader to stumble back. Limply, the human turned in the direction of the ever-scathing voice. A small smile crossed his lips, the dry surfaces of them cracking against the strain of the motion. He moved to raise himself to his elbows but thought the better of it as a sharp bolt of raw pain struck his side.

"None of them even believed me. No matter how much proof I had in my grasp." He glanced at the Irken crouched at his side. "Not that you made getting any of it easy..."

Zim grinned proudly in the darkness.

"Didn't think they'd...do this....though." His head lolled to one side.

_Don't even try it._

"Isn't it great? For you, I mean. Watching my own ideals turn on me...My own...faction...tiring of me so easily..." The grating speech stopped abruptly and the eyelids fell heavily, dark lashes drooping against the pearl pallor of the young human's cheeks.

_Curse you!_

Moving rapidly, the Irken looped a thin arm behind his nemesis' neck, pulling the limp shoulders over his own, and lifting the body from the ground. He grimaced as the dark, hot liquid from the human's side puddled against his own abdomen, the sting of the liquid biting through his uniform. Setting his jaw, he raced through the trash and decay and darkness of the rancid city.

He did not notice the mimicking movements of a pursuer not far behind.

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Yep, I'm in an angsty mood! I promise humorous ramblings in the future, though...

Please feel free to tell me what ya think so far. Suggestions more than welcome!


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